Nearly 38% of children hospitalized with EBV infectious mononucleosis developed complications, including systemic manifestations like pleural and pericardial effusion, highlighting the need for strict clinical monitoring.
To identify the frequency and types of complications in children and adolescents hospitalized for infectious mononucleosis (IM) caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), as well as possible clinical and laboratory manifestations associated with greater severity. This is an observational, descriptive study with analysis of medical records of patients aged 0 to 15 years incomplete who were hospitalized with EBV IM (CID B27/B279), between January 2014 and February 2024 in a tertiary pediatric hospital. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and analyzed, with emphasis on complications. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (CAAE 79100124.9.0000.5361). The sample consisted of 37 hospitalization cases, with predominance of males and the preschool age group (2-6 years incomplete). Complications occurred in 14 patients (37.83%), including hematological alterations (cytopenias), hepatic (significant elevation of transaminases); neurological (meningoencephalitis), respiratory (airway obstruction) and systemic (pleural effusion, pericardial effusion and ascites); with 1 ICU admission case. There were no deaths. Despite the generally benign course of EBV IM, 37.83% of hospitalized cases developed complications, including important systemic manifestations such as pleural and pericardial effusion and ascites, in addition to hematological and hepatic alterations. The occurrence of one critical case requiring ICU admission, although rare, reinforces the potential severity of this condition. These findings highlight the importance of strict laboratory and clinical monitoring during hospitalization, with special attention to systemic complications that may indicate greater severity. Future studies should focus on identifying early predictors of these complications to better guide clinical management and prevent adverse outcomes.
Araujo et al. (Sun,) studied this question.